IPVanish Reports Business Risks of Remote Workers

Businesses have long had the advantage of VPN protection at their fingertips. And yet, IPVanish reports, businesses, particularly in the Middle East, are still at great risk of intrusion due to unsecured remote connections. VPN services are ready and able to secure remote workers’ communications, and IPVanish encourages businesses to get this protection now.

Cyber Criminals Preying on Remote Workers

Remote workers who connect to their office networks from unsecured locations now pose the greatest risks to business security. Using data from various surveys, IPVanish reports that the majority of remote workers use unsecured connections when they connect to office networks and share sensitive data. They have therefore become the main targets of cyber criminals. These criminals are able to identify remote workers from traffic streams and manipulate personal details gathered from there and from other sources like social media.

According to the latest reports, remote workers are also juicy targets for cyber criminals because they can be milked for company data as well as their own personal data. Identity theft is still a big money-maker, and these criminals are hitting two birds with one stone. While infecting remote workers’ devices with malware to gain control over business data, they are also opening up a store of user information that can be sold and used to steal financial data from these workers and their connections.

Wireless Routers Unsafe

Public Wi Fi has long been known to be a gathering place for cyber criminals. About 90% of these hotspots are unsecure and deliver a daily smorgasbord of unsuspecting Internet users. But according to the Independent Security Evaluators of Baltimore, wireless routers for home use are now also being targeted as access points. They reported a security fault in 13 of the most popular store-bought wireless routers which allows hackers with a moderate level of skill and LAN or WLAN access to exploit the connections.

Almost any type of online activity conducted by remote workers puts them at risk of cybercriminal attacks. They may be doing simple web searches, posting on social media, or downloading apps for portable devices. Whatever it is, regardless of sensitive data content, it can give criminals the chance to infect them with malware. Once a single device has been compromised, the entire business network is in danger. Most remote workers use their devices over unsecured networks for all their online activities. If businesses know this and still do not secure their remote workers with VPN connections, they are practically inviting criminals in, IPVanish states.